Swooning To The Music
by Cakedecorator
Summary: After getting friend-zoned by Adrien, Marinette wonders why she's crushing on someone who doesn't notice her for her. While mulling over her situation in the park, she meets Luka Couffaine. As he and Marinette spend more time together, Marinette starts falling for him. But Adrien himself isn't very fond of the guitarist for whatever reason. Season 2 Spoilers, Lukanette, Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**After getting friend-zoned by Adrien, Marinette begins to wonder if its worth pining after him. Between her duties as Ladybug and her inability to speak clearly around him, she starts questioning what the entire point is. While sulking in the park, she encounters Luka and sparks fly! But how will Adrien take it?**

 **This will have several songs in it. Here's the list, and some if not all of the songs will have either parts removed or lyrics changed.**

 **"A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into" from "Be More Chill"  
"Best Friend's Brother" by Victoria Justice** **  
** **"Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes  
"He Could Be The One" by Miley Cyrus  
** **"You Had Your Chance" by Mariah Carey**

 **LUKANETTE ALL THE WAY IN THIS STORY WITH A SIDE OF JEALOUS ADRIEN/CAT!  
**

* * *

 _"Marinette's just a friend."_

Well... it was progress at the least. But still, hearing Adrien put her in the friend-zone when talking to Kagami was hurtful. Marinette knew what to make of it: Adrien saw her as a friend, and nothing more. Now that she thought about it, what was she even _doing?_

She was no different than a stalker, and once that realization crossed her mind, she _knew_ that he would be creeped out. He would never talk to her again, probably file a restraining order on her, amongst other things. Then her life would be ruined, she would _never_ become a fashion designer or even become Gabriel Agreste's apprentice.

Thus, realizing that she would probably never be seen as anything more, she took down her pictures of Adrien, changed her computer's screensaver to something related to fashion design without any trace of the blonde, _and_ got rid of the pull-down schedule by crossing everything out in black sharpie, coating it in white-out to play it safe, and then tearing it up into shreds before throwing it out.

After she had done so, she began to think... What was the point? Pining after a guy that was _clearly_ out of her league, to whom she could not get a clear sentence out to, and would never acknowledge some of her best characteristics.

Marinette was now sitting on a park bench in front of the Eiffel Tower, trying her best to focus on her designs in her sketchbook. But her mind was so muddled at being friend-zoned that she could not think clearly.

Out of her purse, Tikki peeked out. She noticed Marinette's current state of emotions.

"Marinette..." Tikki said, trying to help her holder feel better.

"It's no use, Tikki," Marinette said, sighing sadly. "I can't focus like this."

Being her kwami, Tikki would be with Marinette at all times. After all, Ladybug could be needed anytime, anywhere, so she was needed. When they got separated during the whole Princess Fragrance disaster, Marinette could not transform and basically left Cat Noir hanging. Thus, Tikki could tell when Marinette was feeling down, happy, or anything else. Tikki would always remember to make sure Marinette maintained focus whenever akumas would get released. They were unpredictable, the pesky things.

So, to see Marinette feeling hurt at being put in the friend-zone - something Tikki was able to learn about pretty quickly - was painful for the little red cutie.

"Marinette, even if Adrien only sees you as a friend, that doesn't mean that there's no potential for it to grow into something else." Tikki reasoned.

"Maybe so, but I just don't see why I should bother trying anymore," Marinette said. "I might as well just stay his friend and be satisfied with that... As hurtful as it is."

Tikki knew that Marinette had grown in her time as Ladybug, and when it came to her crush on Adrien, she had definitely gotten better with handling her jealousy.

"...That's very mature of you. And you've _definitely_ learned your lesson from Volpina when it comes to Adrien. You actually handled your jealousy towards Kagami very well and didn't take advantage of your powers to keep Adrien away from her." Tikki said.

"You're right, Tikki," Marinette said. "...And yet, it still hurts that I can't be anything more than a friend to Adrien. But I guess it's better than not being noticed at all."

"Well... I don't think that its healthy for you to keep fawning over a guy who doesn't know what he's missing." Another voice said. Male.

Tikki immediately ducked into the bag to avoid being seen.

Marinette looked up and saw a boy with black hair that had been dyed blue at his tips. His skin was a little paler than hers, and he was wearing a blue jacket, a white striped shirt, had black-painted fingernails, black, ripped jeans, and had several bands on one of his wrists. He was carrying a guitar case on his back. He also had the most stunning teal eyes Marinette had ever seen.

"Oh, um... Huh-he-Hi. I-uh..." Marinette awkwardly said, as she waved to the boy. However, he just chuckled at her stammering.

Marinette, seeing his reaction, merely looked down in embarrassment. He immediately noticed this and corrected course.

"Sorry for eavesdropping," The boy said. "I couldn't help but hear you talking to yourself."

Marinette turned completely red in the face. She was embarrassed that this boy had thought that she was talking to herself, but she knew it was better than the alternative: if he had discovered Tikki, there would _definitely_ be questions.

"Judging by what you were saying, it sounds like you were just friend-zoned by your crush," He said, before sitting down next to Marinette. "Am I right?"

Marinette merely gave a nod. The boy next to her started looking at her intensely, before his eyes opened up a bit.

"Hey... Aren't you Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" He inquired.

"Um, yes, I am," Marinette said, surprised that she did not need to introduce herself to this newcomer. "How did you..."

"You were in my sister's recent class photo." He said.

"Your sister?" Marinette asked.

"Oh, where are my manners?" He said, chuckling to himself, embarrassed. "My name's Luka. Luka Couffaine."

"Couffaine... As in Juleka Couffaine? She's your sister?" Marinette said, trying to confirm her suspicions.

"That's her." Luka said, with a nod.

"Wow." Marinette said, a smile growing on her face.

"Glad to see you're smiling again, Marinette," Luka said, as he put his guitar case down, and then took the instrument out. "Will you lend me an ear for a song?"

Marinette's smile grew more and then she gave Luka a shaky nod. He started to play a few notes on his guitar. It was a melody that seemed to resonate with Marinette. She was unsure of why, but there was something about Luka's music that made her feel at ease and safe.

The tune started out melancholic, as if expressing Marinette's sadness over her current relationship with Adrien, but after a few more seconds, the music became more cheerful and it seemed to represent how Marinette will feel better and recover from this.

Marinette took in Luka's handsome features, completely enraptured by the sounds his guitar was producing. Unconsciously, she started snuggling up a bit closer to him. Luka did not seem to objet. Rather, he smiled and kept playing.

"That was great," Marinette said, but then she noticed the guitar pick Luka had. It had Jagged Stone printed on it. "Wow, so you're a Jagged Stone fan?"

"Sure am. In fact, he's my favorite musician." Luka said.

"Same here." Marinette said, as she found something in common with Luka. As the two locked eyes, Marinette felt her heart beat just a little faster. She blushed.

Luka gave her a smile and then he put his guitar away.

Tikki peeked out and saw the calm, almost affectionate expression on Marinette's face. Tikki's eyes widened with delight.

"So..." Luka began.

"I um, gor- I eh..." Marinette began, once again stuttering. However, Luka just laughed a bit, before turning back to her.

"You're funny, Marinette," Luka said. "It's very cute."

Marinette's blush grew deeper and she smiled. Luka actually found her incoherent babbling _cute_?

"Th-Thank you..." Marinette said. Luka gently placed his hand on hers, and gave her a smile. "I was thinking, um... Maybe we could..."

Just when she was about to ask Luka if he would like to pay a visit to the bakery and have a few desserts courtesy of her parents, there was a gigantic explosion noise coming from the other side of the park.

The teens' phones started buzzing. They each took it out and saw that an "Akuma Alert" icon was flashing.

After several attacks in the past, Ladybug and Cat Noir met up with Mayor Bourgeois and the police force and decided to implement safety measures for akuma attacks.

The pair of heroes _never_ got in trouble with the law regarding all the collateral damage because Ladybug's "Miraculous Ladybug" would _always_ put things back to normal like nothing ever happened, so lawsuits against the heroes or the akuma villains was pointless. Also, since none of the victims ever remembered what happened during their possession, no one would press charges against them either.

Regardless, the two teen heroes agreed with Mayor Bourgeois and Officer Roger Raincomprix that mitigating any potential damages towards civilians was a concern.

Thus, they came up with a system to keep most citizens out of the danger zone and to leave the akuma fighting to the heroes. To start with, since almost everyone had a smartphone of some sort, Mayor Bourgeois made an announcement that it was now legally mandatory for all citizens carrying a smartphone to have an app that alerted people to akuma attacks when they are first reported. The app would give the location of where the villain was, and it gave the police an alert to go to the location and evacuate the area until the akuma was stopped. Those who were not near the fight were advised to stay indoors until the danger had passed.

"Uh-oh, looks like akuma trouble," Luka said, as he put his guitar case back on his back. "And it's right near us!"

He immediately stood up and took Marinette's hand, standing her up. He told her, "Come on, we gotta get out of here!"

The pair started running out of the park to get to cover. However, Marinette was more focused on the boy leading her away from the akuma villain than trying to figure out a way to get away from Luka to transform and stop Hawkmoth's latest prey.

Her silly smile grew across her face and her heart kept pounding. Granted, the running was factored in.

Luka kept his eyes in front and was looking around, trying to find shelter. They were a decent distance away from the park, but still not quite out of the danger zone yet. The blue-haired boy soon caught sight of an open building that had other civilians inside.

"In there!" Luka shouted, as the pair dashed for the door.

However, a blast from the akuma all the way back in the park must have misfired. The energy ray hit a chimney and started to fall onto the pair.

"Luka!" Marinette shouted, as she took her hand away from the boy's and shoved him out of the way of the chimney. He stumbled and fell onto the ground in front of the door.

The large pile of bricks and concrete fell onto the ground between the teenagers and broke. Luka was breathing heavily, trying to see if Marinette was okay.

"Marinette! Are you alright?!" Luka shouted.

"I'm fine!" Marinette hollered in reply. "I'll take shelter elsewhere and see if I can alert Ladybug! You get inside and wait for the danger to pass!"

Luka nodded and then he scrambled inside the door. As it shut, he muttered out loud, "Please be safe, Marinette..."

Marinette ran down the street perpendicular to Luka's location and then she ducked down behind another building.

"That was so brave of you, Marinette," Tikki said. "You saved Luka without transforming."

"Right, but we have an akuma to stop. _Tikki, Spots On!_ " Marinette declared.

In a flash of pink light, and a few poses, Marinette was now wearing a red suit with black spots, a matching mask, and had a yo-yo on her hips. She took it out and started to swing into action.

* * *

One akuma attack and Miraculous Ladybug later and Marinette was right back where she started.

The poor soul who got possessed this time was an architect that found the classy buildings in Paris to be outdated. Thus, he wanted to start replacing them with more modern-looking buildings to fit the time period. His peers belittled him for his lack of attention to the classics and disrespect for the artistry in the buildings. While they were correct, they could have been more tactful.

Once again, Marinette was in the park. This time, however, she had something else occupying her mind, and it was _not_ Adrien.

"Come on, come on..." Marinette said, as she kept looking at her phone.

She had texted Juleka, explaining to her what had happened and asked for Luka's number. Juleka was a big help, sending Marinette her brother's digits. Marinette sent Luka a text, telling him that she had gotten the number from his sister and told her that she was back at the park.

She heard hurried footsteps and then her name was called out.

"Marinette!" Luka shouted, as he soon found Marinette and caught up to her. "What a relief. I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're safe, too, Luka!" Marinette said. "You got my message?"

"I did," Luka said, before taking her hands into his own. "I just wanted to be absolutely sure that you were alright."

Marinette blushed, a smile forming on her face. She was happy that Luka was concerned about her to the point where he would have rather come and seen her in person to check on her instead.

"R-Really?" Marinette asked, as she relished the feeling of Luka's hands holding hers. Tikki, while still hiding, could see how smitten Marinette was with Luka.

"Yeah. You were so courageous, Marinette," Luka said, as he started to stoke Marinette's cheek with his hand. "You could have gotten seriously hurt when you pushed me out of the way of that chimney. You thought of others first."

Marinette's heart accelerated more, with all of the praises that Luka gave her.

"Your parents run the Dupain-Cheng bakery, right?" Luka said. "I'm sure you're shaken up by everything that's happened. Let me walk you home?"

"I-no - I'd love that!" Marinette said, as she managed to collect her thoughts.

Luka gently held her hand as the two teenagers started walking out of the park and back to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Marinette managed to shoot her parents a message that she was on her way back.

It took about ten minutes, but Marinette and Luka soon made it back to the bakery without any incident. Since the akuma alert had been ceased a while ago, Marinette was sure her parents' concerns were eased a bit.

Opening the door, Marinette said, "Mom, dad, I'm back."

"Welcome home, Marinette." Sabine said, as she came out from behind the counter.

"We heard you were in the park when the attack started," Tom said, as he came out from the kitchen. "I'm glad you're not hurt."

However, the two adults soon noticed Luka, and their daughter's body language towards the boy.

Tom cleared his throat, and said, "Young man?"

"Luka Couffaine," Luka said, introducing himself. "I walked Marinette back home. In fact, you certainly raised a brave girl."

Luka blushed a bit as he saw the questioning looks from the Dupain-Cheng family.

"If not for Marinette, I would've been hit by a collapsed chimney. She pushed me out of the way before running for shelter herself." Luka explained.

The two parents gasped in awe and shock at hearing their daughter's brave actions.

"Marinette!" Sabine scolded. "That was _very reckless_ of you, young lady! You could have been seriously hurt!"

Marinette's face fell at getting scolded by her mother, but then Tom spoke up.

"Regardless, we're proud of you for being so courageous and helping someone, especially during an akuma attack." Tom said, a smile quirking up on his mustached face.

"You should be," Luka said, as he approached Marinette and placed a hand on her shoulder. "She not only saved my life, but I can tell that Juleka really appreciates Marinette's friendship."

"Oh, you're Juleka's brother, then?" Sabine said, realizing that Luka was not only a gentleman for escorting Marinette home, but a family member of one of Marinette's friends. "Well, welcome. And no need for formalities with us."

"Thank you for looking out for Marinette today," Tom said. "She's been depressed lately."

Marinette sighed. Her parents had picked up on her melancholy as of late, so she was a little embarrassed.

"It's no problem," Luka said. "So, since I'm here, I might as well buy a few things."

"You're free to anything here, Luka," Sabine said. "What catches your fancy?"

"I'll take a baguette and a dozen of the raspberry macarons, please." Luka said, and as soon as he placed his order, Tom and Sabine gathered up the bread and the cookies for the young man.

Tom handed the bread bag and the cookie box to Marinette, and winked at her. Marinette blushed, realizing that her dad must have picked up on her newfound affection for Luka.

"Here you go, Luka." Marinette said, as she gave Luka the box.

"Thanks." Luka said, as he took out his wallet to pay for the baked goods.

"Not today, young man," Sabine gently said. "Think of this as our thanks for being there for Marinette."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Luka said, before turning to Marinette. "I'll see you around, Marinette."

"Sa-su-ma - Um, yes, I'll see you again soon, Luka!" Marinette said, inciting a chuckle from the guitarist.

He left out the door, and once he was gone, Marinette let out a long sigh, a wistful smile floated onto her face, and then started to twirl around, as if she were dancing on air.

"It looks like our daughter's found a new crush," Sabine whispered to Tom. "And if my eyes aren't lying, it seems like that boy might like her, too."

"Adrien had his chance, and now Marinette's moved on." Tom chuckled.

"I'll be in my room if you need me..." Marinette dreamily said, as she walked out of the bakery, into the house, and made her way up the stairs to her trap-door bedroom.

Once she sat on the chaise, she took up a pillow, buried her face in it and squealed with joy and delight. Tikki flew out from the bag and approached Marinette.

"Wow! Luka certainly seems to have a thing for you!" Tikki said, happy for her holder. "And if I'm not mistaken, it looks like the feeling is mutual!"

"I know, Tikki! A boy actually has interest in me!" Marinette said, bouncing like a rubber ball.

"Don't say that. You had Nathanaël and Nino for a bit," Tikki said. "And then there are all your fans as Ladybug, but I don't think that counts."

"Yeah, my Ladybug fans don't apply to this situation. Anyway, I gotta call Alya!" Marinette said, taking out her phone. "Girl Code Emergency!"

Within minutes, Alya had dashed from her house and ran all the way to the Dupain-Cheng house and then she came in through the trap door.

"Marinette! What's going on?! You said it's a Girl Code Emergency!" Alya frantically said as she sat on the chaise with Marinette.

"Well..." Marinette said, before blushing and shuffling her legs a bit, and humming a little.

Alya knew that body language anywhere: it was a tell-tale sign of something boy-related.

"Did Adrien ask you out?! Or did you ask him out and he said "yes?!" Come on girl, spill!" Alya asked, anticipating Marinette's answer.

"Alya, who said anything about Adrien?" Marinette said with a smile. "Take a look around."

Alya looked around and saw some things that were _definitely_ different about Marinette's room: all of her Adrien posters were gone and she even noticed the pull-down calendar was missing, too.

"You're... Over Adrien?" Alya asked.

"Well... I overheard him putting me in the friend-zone when talking to Kagami," Marinette explained. "And I started to think about whether or not what I was doing was worth it."

"So let me get this straight: you've decided to stop going after Adrien and all of a sudden another boy shows up and you're smitten with him?" Alya asked.

"That pretty much sums it up." Marinette began.

Marinette then stood up and music started to play in the background. She turned to Alya and began to sing.

 _"Say there's this person that you only met today! You've known him for just one day!"_ Marinette sang, as she turned to her best friend.

Alya quirked a brow as she listened to Marinette. She only met the guy today and she's already fawning over him? Sounded like what happened to Anna when she first met Prince Hans in "Frozen."

 _"There was a boy you obsessed over every day, 'cause of something he'd do or say. But then something has changed... Your feelings have changed..."_ Marinette sang, before doing a spin and hop in delight.

 _"Now the guy you are currently into isn't the guy that you used to be into!"_ Marinette sang, before blushing and gushing over Luka. _"Now the guy I am currently into isn't the guy that I used to be into! Is he worth it, Alya? Is he?"_

Unknown to either girl, someone was eavesdropping on them, and it was not Marinette's parents. Up on the trap door that was above her bed, someone was listening in on the conversation. It was Cat Noir. After that day's attack, he decided that after feeding Plagg, patrolling around Paris solo might be a good idea.

He was on his way back to the Agreste Mansion when he caught wind of Marinette's singing. He knew that she had feelings for someone after talking and spending some time with her before the whole Glaciator attack. However, he was unsure as to whom it was.

From what Cat Noir could glean from Marinette's song, apparently she had moved on from her crush and is now thinking about someone else. He had no idea why, but he wanted to know whom she was talking about.

 _'Well, you know what they say: "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." I'll keep listening.'_ Cat Noir thought.

 _"Say there's this boy that you really don't know that well."_ Marinette sang.

 _'She must be really into this dude.'_ Cat Noir thought, unintentionally thinking along to the music.

 _"You thought your feelings were pegged, but you can tell,"_ Marinette sang, unaware of someone else overhearing them. _"You feel that now the guy that you're currently into isn't the guy that you used to be into! The guy that I'm currently into isn't the guy that I used to be into!"_

Marinette turned back to Alya and gently held her by the shoulders before singing, _"Is he worth it? Alya?"_

 _"Not sure, Mari."_ Alya honestly sang, not able to help herself.

 _"I sometimes can't relate to other people my age, especially when it comes to change. There are new transitions that I'm going through, and I'm glad I can tell all this to you!"_ Marinette sang, as she kept singing to her best friend.

Cat Noir was still up on the roof, listening to the girls. As Marinette kept singing, he had to wonder: who was this new guy that caught her attention? Must have been someone quite special if she was already going nuts over him after only meeting him once. As much as he wanted to pop in and ask, he had a feeling that if he _did_ , _he_ would be the one who had to come up with answers. After all, a superhero barging into a girl's room was _definitely_ the epitome of bad etiquette.

But for some strange reason, the black cat had a prickling feeling wash over him and his chest tensed up. It was like someone had given him some bad news and he was not liking it. He got goosebumps, too.

 _"Back to the topic at hand. I know this is weird, but it's totally true,"_ Marinette sang, and Cat Noir continued to listen to Marinette and Alya. _"The guy that I'm currently into..."_

 _"The guy that you're currently into..."_ Alya sang back.

 _"Yeah, that guy that I'm/you're/she's currently into..."_ Alya, Marinette, and Cat Noir sang, albeit the latter girls were unaware of the singing cat that had heard the whole thing.

 _"His hair's..."_ Marinette began, as she started to gush and swoon over the new boy in her life.

Cat Noir pricked up his attention to hear this detail about Marinette's new crush and his breath hitched. She took a deep breath.

 _"Blue!"_ Marinette sang, finally hitting the last note.

What the...? Blue hair? Well, yeah, Jagged Stone had dyed some parts of his hair purple, as did his assistant Penny Rolling, and then some of the akumas that they had fought in the past had hair in wacky colors. But still, who would have blue hair?

Just hearing that this new boy had blue hair was a confusing clue to Cat Noir. He was unsure of why it was bugging him, though.

"Blue hair?" Alya asked.

"Well, actually his hair is black, but the tips are dyed blue," Marinette explained. "And it matches his beautiful, teal eyes..."

Hearing a wistful, romantic swoon coming out of Marinette's mouth, Alya giggled before saying, "Alright, alright, you definitely think he's a looker, girl, but I need more deets! Come on!"

"Well... he plays guitar." Marinette said.

"Go on..." Alya prodded.

"He's a fan of Jagged Stone, just like me," Marinette said, blushing. "And he even played me a song that reflected what I was feeling in my heart."

"OOH!" Alya said, getting delighted. "Any more? Like, say, _his name_?"

"His name is Luka Couffaine!" Marinette said, before squealing in delight. "And he's _so_ _cute_!"

 _'Couffaine? Where have I heard that name before?'_ Cat Noir thought, as he was still listening. He recognized the surname "Couffaine" from _somewhere_ , he just could not pick out where.

Marinette went on and on about Luka for a little while, and Cat Noir was getting more and more curious about him and who on earth it was that Marinette had been crushing on before meeting Luka... Albeit the black cat had no idea why he was getting so emotionally invested in it.

"How about we get out on the roof for some air?" Alya asked.

Cat Noir panicked and immediately leaped off the balcony to go home. For some reason, he wanted to think about this newfound information and try to figure out why the name "Couffaine" was so familiar.

* * *

Once Cat Noir leaped in through the window of his bedroom, he said, "Claws in."

Plagg came out of the ring and the catsuit disappeared.

"So, you went on patrol, eavesdropped on your Princess, and now you're thinking about her instead of Ladybug?" Plagg asked. "Humans are so fickle."

Adrien did not focus on his kwami. Rather, his mind was stewing over Marinette's admission of her feelings for this Luka Couffaine character.

Adrien was unsure as to why, but being a fly on the wall, or rather a cat on the roof in Marinette and Alya's conversation was stirring some odd feelings in his gut. Was it the fact that he was upset at her former crush for not recognizing how great Marinette was? Or was it because he did not know who Luka was and was concerned about what could happen if something went wrong? On the other hand, the familiarity at hearing the name "Couffaine" was niggling at him, so if he figured out where he recognized the name from, he could be put at ease, or on edge.

"I'm confused about what I just heard." Adrien said, unsure of what else to tell Plagg.

"Okay, kid, let me get this straight: you're head-over-heels for _Ladybug_ , and only think of _Marinette_ as a friend, and yet you're wondering what's going on in the love life of the latter because you don't know who her former crush is, _and_ you're also trying to figure out who this "Luka Couffaine" kid might be?" Plagg said. "You're confusing _me_."

In all honesty, Plagg had a sneaking suspicion Adrien was starting to fall for the civilian side of his partner. But the last thing Plagg was going to do was spill the beans and tell Adrien that he knew that Marinette was Ladybug, after finding out during the "Dark Owl" incident.

"Sorry, but... That name... I've heard it before, I just wish I could put my finger on it." Adrien said.

Plagg sighed, before sneaking into the camembert compartment and started eating the smelly cheese again. Meanwhile, Adrien flopped onto his bed and tried to think through this new conundrum.

Adrien tried his best to wrack his brain for an answer. Couffaine... Couffaine... Why did that name ring a bell, and _not_ the one on his suit?

Adrien hoped that he would get some clarity about this mystery soon. The thought of Marinette hanging out with a boy he did not know made him feel really... Off. There was no other way to describe it. If it were Nino, that would be one thing, but Adrien's best friend had gotten over Marinette a long time ago. Now Nino was in a solid, happy relationship with Alya. Now that Adrien thought about it, those two fit together like a glove.

But this "Luka Couffaine" dude was a total stranger to Adrien. He wanted to believe that his curiosity and his irritation was because he was worried about Marinette... But was it _really_?

* * *

The next day in class, Adrien was still trying to sort out everything he had learned from Alya and Marinette's conversation. He had his face propped up against his hand and was leaning his arm on the desk, trying to glean some insight into this new situation.

To start off with, who was the fool that failed to notice Marinette's feelings for him? Well, it was his loss at this point. He felt that any guy would be lucky to be the crush of one of his friends. But the real thorn in his side that was bugging him at that moment was: who on earth was Luka Couffaine, and why did it feel like he had heard his surname before?

The door flew open and in scrambled Marinette, who beat the bell just in time. Adrien chuckled at how flustered and exhausted Marinette seemed. Homeroom had not started, but it was still endearing to see her like that. He stifled a chuckle.

Marinette breathed to relax and then she took her seat next to Alya.

"Hey, girl, you're just barely on time this time around," Alya said, giggling. "Were you up all night dreaming about Luka?"

"What? Luka? Who said anything about Luka?" Marinette said, blabbering on, but Alya just gave her a look that said, "Don't bother covering it up, girl."

There was that name again, and the familiarity was still poking at Adrien.

Noticing her best friend's body language, Marinette sighed, resigned, before saying, "Okay, a little."

Just then, Madame Bustier walked in and started to take attendance.

"Alright, then, I'm taking attendance. Agreste, Adrien." The teacher said.

"Here." Adrien said, raising his hand.

As he absently listened to the names of the rest of his classmates get called, one jumped out at him.

"Couffaine, Juleka." Madame Bustier said.

"Present." Juleka quietly said from her seat.

The lightbulb in his brain went off when he heard Juleka's name get called. No wonder it sounded familiar. Juleka must somehow be related to this Luka guy.

After literature class had ended and they were in the middle of their break, Adrien stuck around and started to listen to Marinette and the girls - sans Chloé and Sabrina, obviously - and Adrien was making sure Juleka was in the conversation.

"So, you ran into my older brother yesterday before the akuma attacked?" Juleka asked Marinette.

"I did. That's why I asked you for his digits after the whole thing settled down." Marinette said, almost swooning over the thought of Juleka's brother.

 _'Okay, so we've now established that Luka Couffaine is Juleka's big brother.'_ Adrien thought, pretending to tune the girls out, but he was listening intently.

"Speaking of Luka," Alix piped up. "Isn't he coming to pick you up today, Juleka?"

"Yeah," Juleka said with a nod. "But it's very unlike him to offer to come and get me after school out of nowhere like that."

"OOH! Do you think it has something to do with _you-know-who_?" Rose squealed, as all ladylike eyes in the room turned to Marinette. They all had teasing looks on their face.

Marinette looked around at her female peers, blushed heavily, and then said, "What? Why would he want to come to see _me_?! I mean, not that I _don't_ want to see him again. I do, but for him to go out of his way to see _me_ , is, well...!"

The girls giggled in response and Myléne spoke up, saying, "Come on, Marinette. From what Juleka has said, it looks like Luka's into you, too."

Marinette, feeling a boost of confidence, smiled wistfully and said, "Maybe..."

"If you ask me, you should definitely take a chance and get to know Luka. Especially since you're getting over..." Alya began, but then she soon met eyes with Adrien. She then cleared her throat. "Since you're getting over _that guy_."

The girls got the hint that it was probably best not to mention the name of a certain someone, especially since he was in the room. They did _not_ want any pot-stirring.

"Break time's almost over," Marinette said, noticing the clock on her phone. "We'd better get going."

The girls nodded in agreement as they stood up and left the classroom to go to Madame Mendeleiev's room for their science class.

Plagg peeked out from under Adrien's shirt and said, "So, it seems now you've fully identified your competition."

"What competition? Marinette is only a friend." Adrien said, as he stood up to try and make for the next classroom.

"Yeah, well, then why did glasses girl over there filter her thoughts out when you two looked at each other just now?"

Adrien paused, realizing Plagg had a good point. Why did it seem like Alya filtered and rearranged her thoughts before speaking when they made eye contact earlier? It was like his name was poison in that conversation.

"I don't have anything to do with Marinette's love life, especially when I'm having bad luck in my own." Adrien insisted.

"But what if you _do_ , or rather _did_ , and now she's not even bothering anymore?" Plagg inquired.

Adrien once again stilled. The thought of such a thing never crossed his mind. _Was_ he somehow related to Marinette's love life, or was it just Plagg teasing him again?

"I'm going to be late for class." Adrien said, changing the subject and leaving out the door.

* * *

 **And the story starts! This isn't the last we'll see of a jealous Adrien, but keep in mind that in this story, Lukanette is the endgame.**

 **I hope that everyone is enjoying how this story is playing out so far. There's more where this came from. Also, keep an eye out for an upcoming story, "The Little Merboy." I'm sure you can guess what I'm doing with that title. ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the chapter where Marinette's feelings for Luka start to grow and bloom even more.** **And according to girl code, if Juleka encourages it, then Luka's fair game for Marinette!**

 **Meanwhile Adrien isn't too happy about the goth/punk guitarist getting close to Marinette for some reason. What's going on with his feelings?**

 **As I said in the last chapter, some of the songs may have parts changed and/or cut.**

* * *

Later on, after classes let out for the day, everyone was gathering in the schoolyard to head home. The day was uneventful, and by Paris's standards, "uneventful" meant either nothing of major significance for the city was going on (no parades, festivals, etc.), no akumas had wreaked any havoc that day, or both. In this case, it was both.

As the girls made their way to the gates, Marinette saw someone standing there and she gasped with delight before letting out a quiet, happy squeal. She smiled brightly, because there he was: Luka Couffaine, waiting at the gate for Juleka.

"Luka!" Juleka said, as she jogged over to her brother. "You weren't kidding about coming to pick me up."

"No, I wasn't," Luka said with a chuckle, before meeting eyes with a certain pigtailed designer. "Hey, Marinette."

"Hey, La-Lu-La, er, I mean, Hey, Luka!" Marinette said, as the guitarist sauntered his way over to her. As soon as the others saw this, the girls parted away from their class president like the Red Sea.

"Funny as always, Marinette," Luka said, with a chuckle. "I was hoping... Do you think that you would like to spend some time together... You and me? Tonight?"

Marinette was dumbstruck and unsure of what to say. Utterly speechless at the idea, to be blunt.

Luka, unsure of what she was trying to say with her body language, said, "If you don't want to, that's..."

" _Of COURSE_ she'd like to!" Juleka piped up, as she ran back to Marinette and pushed her closer to Luka... Or rather, shoved her into his arms. "Luka, didn't you say you were going to go to the video game store to buy the latest Ultimate Mecha Strike game? Marinette actually won a school tournament with Max playing UMSIII."

Luka looked at Marinette in surprise and said, "Wow, Marinette. I didn't know you gamed. Plenty of girls game, but for you to be so good that you won a tournament for the school? That's amazing!"

Marinette blushed as she received this compliment from the guitarist.

"How about a gaming session on the Liberty tonight once we get the game?" Luka suggested.

"I lo-lo- I'd like that!" Marinette said, stuttering over her words again.

Luka took Marinette hand and said, "See you back at home, Juleka?"

"Oh, yes." Juleka said.

As the pair walked away, Marinette chanced a look behind her. She saw Alya giving her a confident smirk, proud of her best friend; Myléne and Alix were also smiling at Marinette; Rose had a big, happy, grin on her face and was jumping up and down; Juleka gave Marinette a thumb's up.

Basically, according to Girl Code, Juleka had given Marinette consent to spend alone time with her brother.

Smiling at her friends' support, she gently squeezed Luka's hands as they walked off to the video game store.

Unfortunately, the girls were not the only ones who saw this exchange go down. A few feet away, Nino and Adrien had seen everything.

" _That_ was Luka?!" Adrien asked.

He was unable to stop himself from gawking at the older boy. He looked like one of those emo teens that his father would not be caught _dead_ designing for. On the other hand, Adrien knew better than to judge a book by its cover if his "friendship" with Chloé was any indication.

"Seems like a cool guy to me," Nino said with a shrug. "But why are you getting so worked up about who Marinette goes out with?"

Nino knew better than to reveal that he was Marinette's wingman when it came to Adrien. He had known about her feelings for him since the whole thing with Animan _and_ after hooking up with Alya. But now that Marinette had changed prospects, Nino felt that it was a moot point to find excuses to bring Adrien and Marinette together.

"Because we hardly know the guy, to start with!" Adrien said.

"Dude, this is _Juleka's brother_ we're talking about," Nino said, trying to get Adrien to smarten up. "If she's encouraging it, I don't think there's going to be a problem. If he was bad news, she would've steered Marinette away from him. Something about "Girl Code," according to Alya."

Adrien tried to argue back, but he knew Nino was right. If Juleka gave it the green light, then Luka was probably a gentleman and not someone Marinette should avoid. At the same time, though, the thought of Marinette in the arms of another boy made Adrien want to choke on bile.

"Marinette's my friend, and she has the right to date whomever she wants..." Adrien said, trying to convince himself of the new turn of events. He tried to take deep breathes, but it was moot.

"Again, _why_ are you getting so antsy about Marinette and Luka?" Nino asked again, crossing his arms.

"Why indeed..." Adrien sighed, resigned.

Even _he_ was getting confused by his new feelings. His sudden interest in Marinette, his immediate dislike for Luka, and his complete and utter annoyance at _still_ not knowing who Marinette's former crush was. And all because he overheard Marinette and Alya singing about it? Something was _definitely_ wrong with him.

* * *

Later that night, Marinette was on the liberty, playing Ultimate Mecha Strike with Luka. He had bragged that while Marinette may be a skilled enough player to win a tournament, he was no slouch playing it either.

Needless to say, he had enough bite to back up his bark. He would still consistently lose to Marinette, but she admitted that he gave her a run for her money.

"Wow, nice work, Luka!" Marinette said. "We nearly tied!"

" _Nearly_? Marinette, you creamed me like butter and sugar in your parents' mixers! You beat me by about _ten thousand_ points," Luka said, laughing at how modest Marinette was being. "Honestly, I've never had this much fun playing UMS before. Most of the time, my opponents are my classmates. They're all rookies and I beat them every time. _You_ , on the other hand, are _definitely_ a force to be reckoned with! You _did_ win a tournament for this, so it shouldn't be a surprise."

Marinette blushed at Luka's praise. Sure, she still remembered when she played the game with Adrien back at her house, but that was nothing compared to the joy of playing with Luka.

"Wow... Thank you, Luka." Marinette said, flattered.

Luka started blushing a bit before clearing his throat.

 _'It's now or never.'_ Luka thought, before turning to Marinette.

"Marinette," Luka said, being serious. "I... I have to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it?" Marinette replied, getting a bit shy.

"I... I got two tickets to Jagged Stone's concert that's in about week or so, and I was hoping that you would go with me... On a date?" Luka asked, a blush dusting his cheeks.

"A Jagged Stone concert?! I'd love to!" Marinette said, as she leaped onto Luka and gave him a hug. Luka smiled and hugged her back. "But could you hang on to the tickets? Chances are I'll lose mine."

"Sure thing." Luka said, as he held Marinette closer and rested his chin on her shoulder.

He looked up and saw his sister staring at them with wide eyes. She smiled and winked at her brother before leaving the room.

Juleka took out her phone and texted the girls, "Luka asked Marinette to the concert and she said "yes!" Now we just need to make sure they keep seeing each other both before _and_ after!"

There was _immediate response._

Alya: "Operation "Love Song" is a go!" with a thumb's up emoji.  
Alix: "'Bout time someone was smart enough to see how great Marinette is!" with a smiling face and a rolling eyes emoji.  
Myléne: "Aw! That's great!" with a smiling emoji with smiling eyes, and a kissing face emoji.  
Rose: Nothing but red and pink heart emojis, plus a few smiling faces that had heart-shaped eyes, followed by, "THIS IS SO ROMANTIC! THEY'RE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER!"

Juleka could not help but smile at this reaction from their girl group, and she then replied, "Alya, you know what to do. I'll get to work on my end."

Alya: "Count on me, Jules!" and another thumb's up emoji.

Juleka smirked as she put the phone away and then walked away to leave her brother and Marinette alone.

Marinette, happy, wanted this to continue on. She was in pure heaven.

As the week went on, any time there was a break that did not involve school, patrol, or akuma fighting, Marinette would always be thinking about Luka. And whenever Juleka had the chance, she would find moments to bring her brother into the picture and give them more time together. However, sometimes these attempts would fail because Marinette would be in Ladybug mode at the time.

In her room, Marinette was working on a design project and fully focused, but then she got a phone call from Juleka.

"Hey, Juleka. What's going on?" Marinette asked.

"Luka's busy practicing his guitar, but I'm certain he wants to talk to you," Juleka said, a playful tone to her voice. "I'll hand you over to him."

Juleka kept her hand over the speaker and she entered her brother's cabin. He was playing his guitar, thinking about Marinette, when his sister tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning around to Juleka, and seeing her smile, Luka _knew_ something was going on. He asked, "What's up?"

"A certain girl is on the line," Juleka said, giving her brother a knowing smirk. "Want to talk to her?"

"Marinette?! But I have her number... You little minx, you did that deliberately," Luka said, but then smiled in gratitude for the opportunity. "I'll take you up on that offer."

Juleka handed her phone to her brother before leaving the room to give him time to talk to Marinette.

 _"You call me up, when he hopes I'm at home. I jump out of my skin when you hand him the phone."_

The girls were once again in the park. This time, however, Alix was unable to join them and they were accompanied by Nino and Ivan. The band was having a small practice session, but they _definitely_ planned to keep the music down. They did not want to deal with Roger, to start with. But the main problem was that Adrien was having a photoshoot nearby. Since this was a Gabriel brand shoot, the band had every intention of keeping it quiet so as to not disturb the shoot and give Mr. Agreste _more_ reason to be on Adrien's case.

"Sorry for having to come to the park for this, guys," Rose said. "But Mrs. Couffaine isn't on the Liberty right now, otherwise we'd be practicing there instead."

"It's fine," Marinette said, as she rested her cheeks in her hands as she gazed at Luka, nearly drooling. "Besides, you guys are great no matter where you play."

"Thanks, Marinette," Luka said, as he was tuning up his guitar. "You didn't have to come, but I'm so glad you did."

Marinette blushed as she watched Luka, unknown that _she_ was also being watched.

Back with Adrien, the photoshoot had gone on break, and Adrien was staring at his friends, or rather, _Marinette_ , and was just looking at them blankly. From a distance, his facial expression _seemed_ blank, but there was a fire of envy and jealous burning behind his green eyes. That fire was directed towards the blue-haired guitarist.

 _'Why is she directing all her attention on_ him _?'_ Adrien thought, still unsure why he was jealous.

Luka looked up from his guitar and shot Marinette a wink. He gave her grin, and she smiled back, before stifling a giggle. Seeing this, Luka's smile grew wider, happy that he succeeded in making Marinette laugh.

Rather than be embarrassed and head home, Marinette's eyes became hearts as she was getting excited to hear Luka's guitar music.

As Luka began strumming his guitar, Marinette sighed, letting the melody flow and relax her. Marinette could not help herself but scoot closer to him. And apparently, Luka welcomed this, as he chuckled and kept playing.

 _"And I can tell when he's looking at me, so I give him a smile, I don't dare try to leave!"_

While Adrien watched with disdain, the next thing that he witnessed made his stomach tie itself up into a Prusik knot.

"Hey, Luka have any plans this weekend?" Alya asked suddenly.

Marinette looked at Alya. She knew that glint in the reporter's eye: Alya's mind had shifted into the wing-woman gear.

"Not in particular, now that you mention it." Luka said, looking up.

"Well, since Rose and I are planning on going to the mall on Saturday, you'd be alone on the Liberty." Juleka spoke up.

"We are?" Rose inquired, but Juleka gently jabbed her in the arm with her elbow to play along. "I mean, indeed we are! I gotta find more materials for scrapbooking club!"

"Wouldn't be the first time I'd be the one manning the ship with Mom gone," Luka said with a shrug. "But what's your point?"

"Well, Marinette is planning on trying her hand at designing fashion for men and boys," Alya said, with Marinette gawking at her for such a story. "I think right now she's working on a new line of shirts. Maybe you could help her out by modeling for her this weekend?"

Marinette face-palmed, completely embarrassed that Alya would say something like that. Not to mention what Alya was _implying_ with the suggestion.

"I thought modeling was Adrien's schtick," Luka said with a chuckle. "But sure, I can do that. If Marinette is down with it."

"No w- I mean goop - Er, that's good. I can use the help." Marinette said, stumbling over herself again.

Luka chuckled at her cute stuttering. Meanwhile, just hearing his modeling work getting affectionately mocked (although he was not the most fond of it himself) pissed Adrien off to the point where he was holding onto his water cup so hard that it broke in his hand, causing the water to leak all over.

"That's great! With Luka's help, I'm sure that you two will come up with some great boys' fashion." Juleka said, as she gently nudged Marinette closer to Luka.

Marinette was completely appalled that she had consented to letting a _boy_ in her room. But she then remembered that it would not have been the first time, since Adrien had come over to practice for the UMSIII tournament. Regardless, she was unsure of what on earth she was _thinking_ , doing so. What on earth was going through her mind?

Marinette glanced at Juleka, who gave her a "perfect" hand sign, and Marinette blushed. Luka put his guitar down and hugged Marinette closer to him with one arm.

 _"I know it's strange, I don't know what I'm thinking, and yet she's fine with us hanging this weekend."_

Whenever she had a spare minute, Marinette would be making men's shirts in Luka's size (she not-so-discreetly asked Juleka for Luka's measurements) and his usual color scheme that she noticed that he would sport. Usually teal with some darker accents, like black and white. She knew this would work.

Her parents noticed that she had taken to making these shirts, but when they asked, Marinette merely replied with "Luka" and then Tom and Sabine left it at that... Although the knowing, teasing smiles were palpable.

Saturday morning, and Marinette had several completed shirts sitting on her chaise while she kept furiously working at her desk.

"You should try to take a break, Marinette!" Tikki said, as she watched her holder working nonstop. "You've been at this all morning."

"I know, but I hardly have any time for this as it is! There's always _something_ getting in the way! Homework, patrols, akumas, fawning over Luka, _more_ akumas..." Marinette complained, as she finished off her latest shirt, folded it up, and put it in the pile.

"Alya shouldn't have put you on the spot like that, not gonna lie," Tikki said. "But..."

"Marinette! Juleka, Rose, and Luka are here!" Sabine called from downstairs. Tikki immediately hid in Marinette's bag as always. The designer stood up and then she went downstairs through the trapdoor, almost running. As she tried to make her way down the steps, she tripped over her own two feet again and nearly fell down.

However, rather than landing flat on her face, she landed into a pair of strong, yet lanky arms. Marinette looked up and stared Luka in the eyes. He stared back. Both were blushing, and one could hear Rose squealing if they listened hard enough.

"Falling for me already?" Luka joked, trying to hide his rosy cheeks.

Marinette groaned at something so corny. That was _totally_ a Cat Noir line. Luka noticed this, and then he said, "Sorry, bad line."

"Well, you two have fun," Juleka said, while holding a box of pastries from the bakery. "Rose and I are off."

Juleka winked at her blonde bestie, gave Tom and Sabine knowing looks, and then the two girls walked out of the bakery.

 _"She's kind enough as to leave us alone, and I'm oh-so glad that she knows!"_

The two Jagged Stone fans made their way up to Marinette's bedroom, but not without the smiles of Marinette's parents following them. Not that Luka minded.

Marinette made sure nothing inappropriate was lying around her room, and she double-checked to ensure that Tikki was out of sight.

"Did my sis give you my measurements?" Luke asked. "These shirts look just like my size."

"Um... Yes, Juleka did that," Marinette said, blushing. "As a designer, knowing people's measurements is helpful when making customized garments."

"No argument there," Luka said, chuckling. "I knew you were into fashion design, but this is something else. You could put Gabriel Agreste to shame in the future."

"R-Really?!" Marinette asked. "I don't think I'm at that level yet."

"Even if you're not, this is seriously pro-level work." Luka said, as he leaned in closer to get a better look.

His proximity to her made Marinette blush. She could not help but look up at him, and remembering that he dwarfed her by a few inches.

"Sh-Should we get started?" Marinette asked, as she grabbed a shirt and handed it to Luka.

"We should." Luka said, as he took off his jacket and placed it on the chaise. He then reached for the hem of his shirt, and immediately pulled it over his head.

Marinette nearly screeched in fright, not expecting Luka to take his shirt off in front of her. Adrien would _never_ do that for a photoshoot.

"What's wrong?" Luka asked, confused.

"Wh-Wh-Whale, why, I mean, _why_ are you taking your shirt off?!" Marinette asked.

"So I can try your examples on." Luka chuckled back.

"Oh, right, right..." Marinette said, before taking a deep breath. _'Damn it, girl, get it together!'_

Once she regained her bearings, she looked back as Luke was holding his shirt in his hand and showing off his bare chest. No one was able to see it under his clothes, but Luka's four-pack abs were very well-defined, and his pectorals were big and looked very firm.

Marinette was _sure_ she had just died and gone to heaven. Her face turned redder and redder with every second that she stared at him. If angels existed, Luka would be the most attractive one in the sky.

"Looks like I've got you struck speechless," Luka chuckled, before taking Marinette's shirt. "Let me get this shirt on so you can calm down."

He started to put Marinette's project on. As he did, Marinette turned around and tried to breathe to calm down and make sure she was at ease around Luka. If she were to truly go into fashion design, that meant having to work with male models that had to take off their shirts all the time if the photoshoot required it. She decided that this was probably the best opportunity to practice so she could maintain her professionalism in the face of something so attractive.

For the briefest of moments, Marinette imagined _Adrien_ without a shirt on, but immediately shook that thought out of her mind.

After Luka put the shirt on, he looked in the full-length mirror. The shirt itself was the same shade of blue as Luka's jacket, and there was some black tiger stripes on it. It had wrist-length sleeves.

"Nice work, Marinette. I like it." Luka said, turning back to Marinette and giving her a smile that melted her heart. She imagined him playing his guitar at that moment.

 _"My gal pal's brother is the one for me! A cute guitarist that's taller than me!"_

After several shirt changes (and Marinette was _still_ unaccustomed to a shirtless Luka), Luka had given a few pointers to Marinette, which she took with grace and used it as information and learning for the next time she tried doing boys' shirts. Luka smiled, admiring how Marinette responded to the constructive criticism that he gently gave her.

Marinette was focused on the advice Luka was giving and took notes on what to do for the future.

He then took his guitar out and started playing a bit of music for her. It was his way of saying "Thank you."

After a few hours, Luka decided to head back to the boat. Both he and Marinette were a bit tuckered out from the day's events. As he went down the trap door, he turned around and gave Marinette a wink and a wave before shutting the door.

Marinette, for her part, waited about a minute, being sure Luka was gone, before taking the throw pillow and squealing into it with delight.

"Luka likes you! He _definitely_ likes you!" Tikki sang, flying around her holder with joy.

"Is it weird that Luka is the only boy occupying my mind as of late?" Marinette asked, not sure what else to tell her kwami.

"Not at all! Better than pining after Adrien all this time." Tikki said, cuddling against Marinette.

"Juleka's brother... What. A. _Man!_ " Marinette said, as she threw the pillow up into the air and then caught it.

 _"I so want to, cause I want to! And I just can't get him out of my mind! My gal pal's brother is the one for me! GPB! GPB! My gal pal's brother, my gal pal's brother!"_

The next afternoon, Juleka insisted on Marinette coming back to the boathouse. She stumbled over her words, but Juleka's point was that he wanted Marinette to come over and hang out.

Juleka also said that if Marinette had any new clothes that she made, she wanted to model for her and show Luka what else she was capable of doing.

Marinette herself was a little suspicious of this, but since she had a lot of hats, accessories, and other pieces of girls' clothing she had made in her spare time, she decided to indulge Juleka.

She had learned a few new things since the derby hat competition, and decided to try a few new things with

They were in one of the cabins in the Liberty. Anarka was out running errands for the family, so this gave the teens some time alone.

"Nice work, Marinette. That hat matches Juleka's color scheme really well." Luka said, as he saw Marinette's newest design.

Juleka was wearing another derby hat. It was primarily purple with black lace, and it had a black ribbon on it. There was even a handmade lace flower on top of the hat with a fake diamond in the center.

"She's an artist," Juleka said. "And she gets my and the girls' styles really well."

"I can tell," Luka said. "Marinette is really something."

Marinette blushed, as did Luka, and then the two of them met eyes and kept gazing at each other for a while.

Luka was still acting at ease, even with his sister in the vicinity. It was to Juleka that Luka was definitely into Marinette, and he was _not_ afraid to show it. Juleka had a slight smile on her face as she watched their interaction. She was _totally_ going to tell Alya and the girls about this later.

 _"I'd like to think that I might be his type. Even when you're around, he's not acting too shy."_

After a few more hats were put on and taken off, Juleka suddenly said, "Oh, I just remembered that we have some homework to get done. I should probably get started. Luka, do you think you could walk Marinette home? It's going to get dark soon. I'm not sure her parents want her out that late, especially since you never know when and where an akuma could strike."

Marinette realized that she also had patrol that evening, too. Keeping Cat Noir waiting was _not_ a good idea.

"But Juleka..." Luka began, but then Juleka leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Luka smiled a bit, and nodded before standing up from his chair. "Actually, I think I can do just that."

Marinette blushed as Luka gently took her hand and looked her in the eyes. Marinette smiled a goofy smile, Luka chuckled, and then he lead Marinette up the stairs to the deck of the boat.

Juleka smiled before texting Alya, "I got Luka to walk Marinette home along the Seine. It's nearly dusk, so he'd better do something tonight!"

Alya texted back a thumb's up emoji, followed by, "He still has the concert with Marinette next week, right? The more those two interact, the more at ease Marinette will be. This is perfect, Juleka!"

As Luka and Marinette started walking along the riverbanks, Luka kept looking around, as if a bit fidgety.

Marinette noticed Luka's anxiety, and then she asked, "Something wrong?"

"Oh, um..." Luka began, before blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "I-It's nothing, really."

Marinette looked at him, a little suspicious, before looking forward. She took out her phone and checked the time: she was lucky that Juleka said something, since she had about fifteen minutes until her curfew. Also, they were getting very close to the bakery, so they were making good time.

Luka kept looking back and forth, before holding out his arm. Marinette looked at him, and thought aloud, "What are you doing?"

"Offering you my arm," Luka said. "F-For you to hold."

Marinette's eyes snapped open. She wrapped her arms around Luka's, similar to how Chloé would do it with Adrien every now and again. Marinette, feeling joy at doing this with a boy who actually liked her, could not help but sigh contentedly. But at the same time, her dreams of doing this with Adrien were popping up. She immediately shoved them down, trying to live in the moment. She could swear Tikki was smiling.

 _"Sometimes I feel like he might make a move. Is this all in my head? I don't know what to do!"_

Once the two teens made it to the bakery - with five minutes to spare - Tom and Sabine were surprised to see their daughter come in on time.

"Marinette, you actually _made_ curfew for once?" Sabine asked, surprised, but then she noticed her arms around Luka's. "Ah, I see. Luka walked you home to make sure you were on time."

 _'That was Juleka's whole plan.'_ Luka thought, before saying, "Hi Mrs. Dupain-Cheng..."

"Please, call me Sabine," Sabine said, as Tom entered the room. "Thank you for bringing Marinette home."

"It's no problem," Luka said. "Juleka was modeling a few of Marinette's newest creations. I think it goes without saying that Marinette definitely has a future in design."

"Hahaha! Don't we know it! She actually designed the logo for the bakery," Tom said. "Luka, you're a Jagged Stone fan, aren't you?"

"I sure am, Tom," Luka said, smiling at the bigger, taller man. "I heard through the grapevine that Marinette designed one of his album covers. Is that right?"

"It sure is," Sabine said. "Marinette doesn't like to brag about it, though."

"Marinette, you just surprise me more and more!" Luka said, smiling brightly. Marinette blushed heavily and shuffled her feet shyly. "So... May I come by again tomorrow? I hear that you and Tom play UMS all the time. Mind if I join in?"

"I... I'd love that." Marinette said, looking Luka in the eye.

"Yeah, the three of us will have a great time playing." Tom said.

"Um, Tom." Luka began, as he slowly came over to Marinette's dad and then he gestured for him to lean down so he could whisper something in his ear.

"Yes, Luka?" Tom asked.

Luka whispered in Tom's ear, "I was _hoping_ that it would just be me and Marinette. Trying to find a chance to make a move and get some brownie points with her."

Tom nodded before standing back up. "Actually, Sabine and I _just_ remembered that we have a huge order coming in tomorrow."

He winked to his wife, who winked back, and then Sabine said, "Now that Tom mentioned it, yes. Besides, I'm sure the two of you wouldn't want meddling parents getting in the way of your game session."

Marinette quirked a brow, but then realized that that was on purpose on Luka's part. He _wanted_ to be alone with her the next day.

"What about Juleka?" Marinette inquired.

"Oh, she's probably going to be doing something with Rose later tomorrow anyway." Luka said with a shrug. He then left the bakery, making sure to give Marinette a wink.

 _"I know it's strange, I don't know what he's thinking, and yet he wants to come see me this weekend._ _It's like he wants us two to be alone, and I'm oh-so glad that she knows!"_

Once Marinette made it up to the sanctuary of her bedroom, Tikki flew out of the bag and said, "Wow! You and Luka really have something going on! And tomorrow he's coming over to play games with you? Looks like you might be getting a boyfriend soon!"

The word "boyfriend" repeated on a loop in Marinette's mind for a while. Marinette could not imagine anyone else at that moment. Sure, Adrien flashed in her mind, but that soon went out the window.

"Oh man... Juleka's so lucky to have such a great older brother," Marinette said, as she once again refrained from swooning. "If those two weren't siblings, I'm sure she'd be going after him, too. The fact that she's encouraging this is so reassuring."

Tikki giggled at her chosen's behavior. Later that evening after finishing up patrol, Marinette had sweet dreams of a boy with teal locks and a guitar. She still had the image change to Adrien every now and again, but every time Adrien popped up, Luka just as quickly took his place. And whenever Luka entered her mind, Marinette felt at peace.

 _"'Cause he's such a dream! And she'd know what I mean if they weren't related!"_

The next day at Marinette's house, the two Jagged Stone fans were really going at it in the game. The pair was pounding the controller buttons with gusto and neither teenager was planning to back down.

"Okay, and... BANG!" Marinette said, as her ladybug mecha once again smashed Luka's player mecha into pieces. "Ha! Won again!"

"Man, Marinette, you _really_ make this game harder for me than it should be," Luka said with a laugh. "How about another round?"

However, there was a growling sound... coming from Luka's stomach. Marinette looked at him and saw how embarrassed he looked, with a red face. He smiled sheepishly and chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

"You hungry?" Marinette said.

"You got me," Luka said, not going to lie. "I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning."

"Did someone say they were hungry?" Tom said, appearing out of nowhere; he was carrying a plate of eclairs. "Perfect timing! Sabine and I made a few extra treats for the two of you."

He put the plate down between the two of them and said, "Carry on. Luka, hope you don't mind losing this much. Marinette's a beast at this game."

"Trust me, I don't mind at all." Luka said, with a smile on his face.

Tom made his way back into the bakery and then the two decided to help themselves to the desserts. Luka reached for one, as did Marinette, and then their hands brushed. They both were startled and jumped back a bit. They blushed before Luka gestured to Marinette, letting her go and take one first.

Marinette, smiling, immediately took one eclair, and then Luka took one of his own. The pair started eating the treats.

"DAAAAAMN! Man, Marinette, your folks do great work." Luka said, as he swallowed his bite.

"Thanks, they taught me how to bake, too, but I didn't have time to make anything for you today." Marinette said.

"It's fine," Luka said. "Besides, I'm sure your parents spoil all your friends that come here."

"Trust me, they do." Marinette said.

"Honestly, Marinette," Luka began, as he put his eclair down and turned to Marinette, and then he placed a hand over hers. "I don't think Juleka could have asked for a friend as great as you. Sure, she and Rose are best friends, but at least you go out of your way to help her when you can."

"Oh, Luka..." Marinette said, as she and Luka gazed at each other. They were slowly leaning in closer, when...

Luka's phone started going off. It was his mom.

"Crap, it's mom," Luka said, as he stood up. "I gotta take this. be back soon, Marinette."

Luka left the living room to get some privacy with the phone call. Marinette herself was fanning herself, as she had been flustered.

After a few minutes, Luka came back, and then he said, "Mom needs me back home right now. Sorry to dine and dash, Marinette."

"It's fine, Luka." Marinette said, a little calmer.

"So... We still on for the concert?" Luka asked, as he made for the front door of the house.

"You bet." Marinette said, giving Luka a thumb's up.

As Luka left through the door, Marinette flopped onto the couch and sighed, content with joy.

 _"GPB! GPB! My gal pal's brother, my gal pal's brother! GPB! GPB! My gal pal's brother, my gal pal's brother!"  
_

* * *

In spite of her newfound feelings for Luka, that did not stop Marinette from thinking about Adrien from time to time. _  
_

In class, Marinette had a better time focusing on the subject matter instead of Adrien, but whenever his name would be called, her attention would be drawn to the blonde model.

Just seeing him and listening to his voice reminded her of how much she loved him - she tried to internally emphasize the past tense.

 _'You're over him, Marinette! OVER HIM! You have your concert date with Luka coming up!'_ Marinette thought, as she tried to refocus on the assignment.

Alya noticed that Marinette was trying her best to redirect her focus from Adrien. The journalist-in-training also picked up on the fact that whenever there was a break between classes, Adrien was staring at Marinette, almost as if he were yearning for her attention.

Why his eyes never left Marinette, neither he himself or Alya had a clue. But what was obvious to the blogger was that Adrien was starting to pay Marinette more attention, if discreetly. If the designer noticed, she was certainly making an effort not to show it.

Adrien himself was contemplating his conflicting emotions. He was enamored with Ladybug, he was not going to lie to himself otherwise. But Luka's sudden appearance and Marinette's apparent attraction to the guitarist was getting on the rich boy's nerves. What was happening to him?

As he and Nino were walking in the hallways, Adrien fiddled with something in his pocket: tickets to the same Jagged Stone concert Luka and Marinette would be attending.

"Adrien, are you okay, man?" Nino asked. "You look like your father just took away your phone."

"I _wish._ " Adrien said, as he and Nino stopped.

"Okay, lay it on me. What's going on?" Nino asked, cutting to the chase.

"I don't know why, but ever since Luka and Marinette started hanging out, I've gotten this weird feeling in my gut that's chewing me up," Adrien said, as he leaned against the wall. "Every time I see them together, I get this urge to go over there and get my cla - er, hands on the guy and deal him some serious hurt. What's happening to me?"

Nino had this feeling in the back in his mind that told him, "If you do or say ANYTHING to encourage him, you're going to be in trouble."

But Nino had to be there for his best friend. Bro Code Rule #1: stand by your bros at all times.

"Dude, look me in the eyes," Nino said, and then he and Adrien made eye contact. "I only have three words: you are _jealous_."

"Jealous?" Adrien repeated.

The only time he ever got jealous was when other people were flirting with or showing any romantic interest in Ladybug. As a matter of fact, that actually caused an akuma in the past.

But now that Nino mentioned it, the symptoms Adrien was going through mirrored that moment at the statue unveiling. It was comparable to someone encroaching on a cat's territory and the cat having the inclination to pounce. Only this time, instead of a sculptor who was a fan of Ladybug, it was a guitarist getting cozy with Marinette.

"Right. Jealous," Nino said, crossing his arms and firmly nodding. "With Luka in the picture, you're beginning to take notice of things about Marinette that you've been oblivious to in the past. It's not unheard of."

Adrien thought it over. The DJ had a good point. He had heard stories of girls getting a boyfriend and then that boyfriend emphasized what made her attractive, and that in turn made more boys notice the girl. But Luka and Marinette were not an official item yet... right?

"You're right, Nino, maybe I _am_ jealous," Adrien said, but a smile crept onto his face. "...I guess I was so blinded by my other crush that I didn't notice who else was around me. In hindsight, I should have seen Marinette. So I'm going to do something about it."

"Do something?" Nino asked, feeling like a rock had been dropped in his gut.

"You know that Jagged Stone concert coming up this weekend?" Adrien said, as he extracted two slips of paper from his pocket. "I snagged two tickets. I was planning on inviting you, but you're already going with Alya. So, I'll ask Marinette out to the concert."

Nino swallowed a lump in his throat. Alya had informed him that Marinette and Luka were going to that concert and he was inclined to burst his buddy's bubble.

"Um, bro..." Nino began.

"There she is! Hey, Marinette!" Adrien said, as she started to make his way over to the pigtailed designer.

Marinette turned around and was surprised to see Adrien making beeline for her. Alya immediately noticed, and seeing the look on his face, she could not help but think, _'NOW he makes a move? You know what they say: "You never realize what you have until its gone." Didn't Nino tell him?'_

"Adrien?" Marinette squeaked, not anticipating her _former_ crush to approach her. Alya made some distance. "What can I do yo- I mean, what I can do for you?"

"You know that Jagged Stone concert this weekend?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded, unsure of where he was going with this. Had he heard she was going with Luka and wanted to offer his congrats? It was bad enough she still felt _very minimal_ butterflies around Adrien. But encouragement from him to pursue a romance with Luka would make those butterflies go away without a doubt.

"Yes, what about it?" Marinette asked.

"Well... I had an extra ticket, so I was thinking that you and I could go together." Adrien said, pulling the tickets out.

Marinette's jaw dropped. Of all the times for him to ask her out on a date, it had to be _NOW?!_ She already resolved to move on, she was falling for Luka _hard_ , and all of a sudden Adrien starts taking notice of her?

"I'm sorry, Adrien, but I'm already going to the concert with Luka." Marinette politely said with a shrug.

Hearing that, Adrien immediately turned to stone and shattered into a pile of rubble. Regaining his composure, he said through gritted teeth, "Luka, huh? I... Hope the two of you have a good time on your date."

"Believe me, we will." Marinette said, with a smile and a blush.

"...What's so great about that guy, anyway?" Adrien muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Marinette asked.

"Oh, nothing," Adrien said, immediately correcting himself. "Maybe I... I'll see you there."

Marinette merely gave a nod before walking to her next class. Alya followed behind after giving Nino a kiss on his cheek.

The DJ walked up to the model and said, "You okay?"

"No. She's already going with _him_." Adrien said, spitting out "him" with a lot of venom.

"Tried to tell you." Nino said.

Adrien face-palmed at this piece of information.

 _'Might as well find someone else since my Princess is taken...'_ Adrien thought, grumbling.

* * *

That Friday night, Luka and Marinette were outside the concert venue, holding each other's hand so they would not get separated. Like she asked him to, Luka was the one who gave the bouncer the tickets.

While they were in line, Luka saw something out of the corner of his eye and said, "Hey, isn't that Adrien Agreste over there?"

Marinette squeaked before turning to follow Luka's line of sight. She immediately saw a mop of blonde locks and she confirmed that it was indeed Adrien. It was clear that he was looking at them. His facial expression and body language exuded... Regret? Or was it jealousy? Maybe some resentment? A combination of the above? She was clueless about what he was thinking.

But then she noticed who was with him: Kagami Tsurugi. She gave Marinette a small smile, but that did nothing to curb Marinette's growing annoyance.

 _'He invited Kagami and yet he's looking over at me?'_ Marinette thought.

Luka immediately noticed, and then he said, "Was it him?"

Marinette looked over to Luka, who gave her a concerned facial expression. Marinette inquired, "What do you mean?"

"Adrien. Was he the boy you liked? The one who friend-zoned you?" Luka asked.

Marinette merely nodded with a sad face on. She turned away from Adrien. Luka glanced at the blonde before putting an arm around Marinette.

"Don't worry, Marinette," Luka said. "Besides, I have a surprise for you later."

"Really?" Marinette asked.

Luka nodded.

Adrien, seeing this gesture, felt his heart shatter like a glass window that had a rock thrown at it.

 _'I was so blind, Marinette... I'm so sorry I didn't notice you before.'_ Adrien thought, his face falling.

Kagami noticed the look on Adrien's face, but failed to comment. She was only at the concert because she had nothing better to do.

Once they were in their seats for the concert, Marinette noticed that Adrien and Kagami were close to them. Closer than she would like.

"So, what's the surprise?" Marinette asked Luka.

"Well..." Luka began, but...

The lights went out and then Jagged Stone came up onto the stage. As he started singing one of his songs, everyone sang along, fist-bumping, jumping and cheering for the rocker.

Marinette was really enjoying herself. While she tried her best to ignore the fact that Adrien was most likely watching her, she was genuinely having fun. And being with Luka was even better.

Soon, the music quieted down and the spotlight hit Jagged Stone.

"I don't normally take requests, but I felt like I needed to do something. I saw this cool comment on one of my posts, and it's about a girl I know, who is in the crowd tonight. Apparently, the poor girl got hurt by her crush and the boy she's with tonight also has a thing for her. So, now I'll be singing "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes, as requested by Luka Couffaine!" Jagged announced in the microphone.

Out of nowhere, a spotlight hit Marinette and Luka.

Marinette gawked as she looked at Luka in surprise. Luka smiled at her and said, "This is the surprise."

Adrien was also in complete shock. For Luka to go this far for Marinette? He must like her _a lot_. Kagami saw how devastated Adrien looked. She admitted to herself that she was having fun, but to see her fencing rival and friend so upset over losing his crush to another boy was a little disconcerting.

 _"I won't lie to you. I know he's just not right for you..."_ Jagged sang, as the crowd started singing along.

Luka took Marinette's hands into his own and the two of them started dancing. Meanwhile, Adrien looked on in heartache.

"How did you do this?" Marinette asked Luka. The music was just loud enough for everyone in the venue to hear, but it was not so loud that Marinette had to shout to be heard.

"Well, I found one of Jagged Stone's social media pages and I commented that I was excited about coming here with you, and I mentioned your name. I also briefly stated how you've been hurt by your former crush, and how this whole situation reminded me of "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes. Next thing I know, Jagged Stone replied to me on my page, told me that you were the one who designed one of his album covers, and then he suggested that he could sing that song at the concert since we were coming. Something about, "Anything for a rising artist who understands my style." And here we are." Luka admitted.

Marinette started crying tears of joy as she hugged Luka.

The two fans continued dancing to the song, and the crowd was going wild with delight at Jagged Stone's singing.

As the two went on with their dancing, Marinette had almost forgotten that Adrien was watching them. It still did not make her night any less entertaining for her.

"Marinette, I know you must have had a thing for Adrien for a long time," Luka said, as he started to get serious. He gently held her shoulders. "But it kills me to see you getting so upset over him."

Marinette looked Luka in the eyes. She said, "I know. I don't like it either."

"I can make you happy," Luka said, blushing and trying his best to stay calm and act cool. "Unlike him, I see how amazing, funny, and utterly _magical_ you are. I can understand why Juleka trusts you... One of the reasons I really like you. You deserve better."

 _"I know I can treat you better than he can! And any girl like you deserves a gentleman!"_

"Luka... I had no idea," Marinette said. "I don't think a boy has ever said that about me before."

Well, there _was_ that time with Nathanaël, but he was akumatized. That and she never felt that way about the artist. But with Luka... She _did_ feel that way. And he was in his right mind. Marinette was being complimented for her good traits by a boy who actually meant it, who actually saw her that way... It was heaven.

"Then they don't know what they're missing," Luka said, a smirk quirking up. "You're free to still have feelings for _him_ , but I can't approve of you getting hurt over him and crying."

Marinette's eyes brightened with joy and hope. Luka _understood_ that she still had some lingering affection for the model, but at the same time, he did not like the fact that she would be in tears over him if push came to shove.

 _"Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted cryin' when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better. Better than he can!"_

Adrien heard everything: Marinette had feelings for him, but he put her in the friend-zone and now she was about to move on. Needless to say, he was speechless and he could not believe what he had heard.

Marinette smiled as Luka looked at her with affection. She kept crying happy tears and was about to hug Luka again.

 _"Promise I'll never let you down. 'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can! And any girl like you deserves a gentleman..."_

"Marinette..." Luka began, as the final verse of the song started to come to a close.

"Yes, Luka?" Marinette asked, as she looked her date in the eyes.

"Will you go out with me? Be my girlfriend, I mean?" Luka asked.

Marinette's eyes bulged in shock, Adrien's jaw dropped, and Kagami could only look on, unsure of what to make of this.

 _'Please say "no" Marinette!'_ Adrien pleaded inside.

Once the music stopped, everyone's eyes were on Luka and Marinette. Marinette, for her part, tuned everyone else out, and focused solely on Luka.

"Well, Marinette? Will you go out with me?" Luka repeated.

Marinette, realizing that she finally had a chance at happiness, answered without a second thought, "Yes!"

Luka hugged Marinette as the crowd erupted into applause... Minus Adrien.

As the two lovers rocked back and forth, Luka made a bold move, and kissed Marinette on the cheek a few times. Adrien squeezed his eyes shut. He did _not_ want to see it.

"Want to leave?" Kagami asked.

Adrien merely nodded, his bangs covering his eyes, and then he and his fellow fencer left the venue. Adrien in tears, Kagami undecided.

Marinette was in heaven. A boy who liked her for her no matter how clumsy or awkward she was, on a date at the concert of their shared favorite singer.

Life was good.

* * *

 **Here's the second chapter! I plan on having Cat Noir make another appearance in Chapter 3, and he and Marinette will have a moment. The endgame for this story is Lukanette, so please keep that in mind.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third and final chapter of "Swooning To The Music" is here. I was having some trouble coming up with an ending for this, and working on "The Little Merboy" amongst other stories.**

 **At any rate, after the concert, a heartbroken Adrien pays a visit to Marinette as Cat Noir. After some gentle prodding on his part, Marinette offloads what she sees in Luka and why she loves him.**

 **How will this cat take it? Not well, I'd expect.**

* * *

The concert had wrapped up, and Luka was not about to let Marinette walk home in the dark. So, arm-in-arm, the new couple started to walk back to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.

Luka, for some reason, insisted on taking a different route. Marinette, still on her high from being asked out, put her trust in him.

"Ah, here we are," Luka said, as he looked ahead. "Hungry?"

"Um, yes, why…?" Marinette began, but Luka briefly gestured in front of them, giving her a smile.

They noticed André, the ice cream vendor, standing with his ice cream cart.

"Hello and welcome, both of you!" The older man said, as he noticed Marinette and Luka.

"Is this why you wanted to take a different way back home?" Marinette asked.

"Yes," Luka confirmed with a nod. "Before I came to get you for the show, I was looking around for the clues to André's location, so we could share a lovers' cone after the concert."

"That's… That's the sweetest thing ever." Marinette admitted, as she blushed.

She still remembered how she unintentionally caused André to be akumatized. Long story short, she had come to find André along the Seine with Nino, Alya, Myléne and Ivan, with the intention for Adrien to show up. But since he did not, Marinette got depressed and expressed doubts about the claims of André's ice cream bringing couples together. Marinette had made up with him after the incident, but that still did not make her unrequited feelings for the blonde and the disappointment that he did not come any less.

But now that she had a legitimate boyfriend, she was planning on enjoying the ice cream to the fullest.

"Ah, bonjour you two! Marinette, good to see you again!" André said, as the pair approached him.

André immediately took note that Marinette was not alone this time. In fact, she looked quite happy, her arms wrapped around Luka's.

"Aha! She's found a lover! Let me whip you two up something I'm sure you'll enjoy!" André cheered, as he ran behind his cart and got to work on a cone.

He scooped up three different flavors.

"Blueberry for his matching hair and eyes, white chocolate for her delicate sweetness, and almond for the unexpected events that brought the two of you together!" André trilled, as he handed the pair a shared cone with two small spoons inside.

"Merci, André," Luka said, as he and Marinette took hold of the cone. "This is the perfect, calming thing to end our night."

After paying, the pair found a nearby bench and started eating their shared cone.

"André's ice cream is great," Luka said, as he scooped up some of the dessert and popped it in his mouth. "I'll bet even your parents can't resist it."

"To be candid, in a way, André's responsible for my existence. His cart was actually where my father proposed to my mother." Marinette giggled, before thinking about her parents' love story.

Luka blushed a bit, before rubbing the back of his head, and replied, "Wow."

However, he kept staring at Marinette for a moment.

She just looked so cute. The smile on her face was glowing with joy as she ate some of the creamy treat, and it was as if all traces of her former crush were gone. Now that the two of them were an official item, Luka had every intention of making Marinette the happiest girl in the world.

Just then, the guitarist noticed that some of the almond ice cream had gotten on Marinette's face.

Deciding to be a bit devious, Luka pointed out, "Hey, you got something on the corner of your mouth."

"Oh, I do?" Marinette inquired, as she went to get a napkin. "Don't worry, I'll get it."

"Allow me." Luka interrupted.

However, rather than wipe her mouth with a napkin, he kissed the corner of her mouth to remove the ice cream. Marinette turned redder than a cherry and became short of breath.

 _'Th-Th-That was SO CLOSE to a real kiss!'_ Marinette thought, her train of thought halting faster than a car hitting the breaks.

Seeing her getting all flustered was the cutest thing Luka had ever seen. Thus, he went back for more.

Marinette turned to look at her newly-established boyfriend, only to have her lips be met by his own. It was a mere brush, yet it set Marinette's heartbeat into overdrive.

Internally, she was squealing like one of Adrien's crazed fans.

Once Luka leaned away, he gave Marinette a playful smile and told her, "We'd better finish the ice cream before it melts."

Marinette, in full agreement with Luka, spooned up another bite, hoping to not only cool herself down, but to dial back the color on her face.

Luka chuckled, reveling in his girlfriend's embarrassment. It was endearing and very sweet.

Once the pair arrived back at the bakery, the lights were still on. Since Marinette had told her folks that she would be out late due to the concert, they insisted on waiting up for her.

"We're back." Marinette said as she entered the house.

"Did you two have fun?" Tom asked, as he and Sabine came into the living room.

"Definitely." Luka said, before once again kissing Marinette on the cheek.

Marinette's folks smiled as they watched the young man do this, before turning to their daughter.

"Anything you want to tell us, Marinette?" Sabine asked, a teasing tone.

"Luka… Luka's my boyfriend now!" Marinette said, as she hugged Luka by the arm.

"Well, Luka, treat our daughter right," Tom said, as he and Luka shook hands. "Now, it's late. It's not a school night, but I'm sure you two are tired out."

"I get you," Luka said. "I'd better head home. See you later, Marinette."

"Bye Luka," Marinette said wistfully, as Luka left the house. "I'll be off to my room now…"

Marinette was on cloud nine as she did a little dance while climbing the stairs to the trap door of her room.

Once the trap door was closed and locked, Marinette started jumping up and down, squealing with joy, and she was on a high from her first kiss with her first boyfriend.

Tikki came out from her bag and said, "This is great, Marinette! You have a boyfriend now!"

"I know, Tikki! This is fantastic! I can't wait to go on more dates, kisses, playing video games, kisses, playing music together, kisses…" Marinette rambled on.

"You said "kisses" three times, Marinette!" Tikki giggled.

"I can't help it. I've never had a legitimate kiss with a boy before!" Marinette swooned.

"What about what happened with Dark Cupid? You had to kiss Cat Noir to snap him out of it." Tikki deadpanned.

"That didn't count _because_ I had to snap him out of it," Marinette asserted, folding her arms. "That ice cream really cooled me off, but I'm still steaming… Maybe some of the cold night air on the roof would help."

Marinette climbed the stairs to her bed, and then climbed out of the skylight to enjoy her balcony.

Though the sky was clear, and the stars were out, all Marinette could see was Luka's mischievous smile and guitar.

On another rooftop, someone was watching Marinette with sad, hurt eyes. Cat Noir. There was just something about Marinette's happy face that cheered him up. But since her joy was from something other than her feelings for Adrien, his heart was pounding with a sensation of negativity. He had to watch it, lest he incite Hawkmoth.

Hopping from one roof to the next, he soon landed on the balcony with a thud, before saying, "Evening, Princess."

Marinette, startled, stumbled and faltered. She flailed around before regaining her balance. Marinette turned and saw Cat Noir leaning against the railing, his arms crossed and looking like he had seen a tragic film and could not stop crying.

"Cat Noir? What are you doing here?" Marinette asked.

Last time she checked, yes, it _was_ Cat Noir's turn for solo patrol that night, but why would he pop in on her out of nowhere like this? Sure, there was that time before Glaciator attacked, but that was because he did not want to be alone since she – as Ladybug – had unknowingly stood him up. What was wrong this time?

"I… I heard through the grapevine that you're seeing someone." Cat Noir evasively stated.

""Through the grapevine?" Or was it social media?" Marinette quipped, crossing her arms.

Considering that display at the concert, she would not be surprised if people recorded it and posted it online.

"…Kind of both, honestly." Cat Noir answered, dodging the real reason why he knew.

Marinette detected several emotions in his body language. Hurt, heartache, sadness, grief, anger with self, etc. Why was he feeling like this?

"So… Who's the idi- er, guy? Luka Couffaine, right?" Cat Noir asked, catching himself before calling Luka an idiot. If he insulted her boyfriend to her face, Marinette would _definitely_ be angry with him.

"Yes, that's his name… And he's a dream come true." Marinette said, sighing with yearning joy.

Just hearing about Luka was making Cat Noir sick to his stomach. However, he was certain that it was also his own guilt that gave him that feeling, too.

"Well… I don't know who he was talking about, but whoever turned you down was stupid." Cat Noir stated, knowing full well that he was referring to himself. And it was eating at him like Plagg chowing down on camembert.

Marinette sighed and stated, "Adrien Agreste. He put me in the friend-zone… But since meeting Luka, I've been so happy."

"…What do you see in that guy, anyway?" Cat Noir prodded, trying really hard not to let any animosity seep into his tone.

He was so angry at himself. Angry for not noticing Marinette's feelings before; angry at hurting her so much; angry that he had not realized his growing affection for her; angry at being so blinded by Ladybug that he could not notice who else was around him. Most of all, he was angry because now Luka had stolen his Princess out from under him.

"What do I see in Luka?" Marinette asked. "He's… very sweet and very nice."

"I got _that much_ ," Cat Noir scoffed. "What else?"

"Meaning?" Marinette inquired.

"Being sweet and nice is all fine and good," Cat Noir muttered, as he had heard gossip amongst the girls that it was those traits that Marinette saw in him as Adrien. "But that can't be the only thing, can it?"

What was it about Luka that set him apart from himself? Why was Marinette swooning over the guy instead of the boy who had her attention for so long? Aside from the fact that Adrien turned the poor girl down, that is.

"He actually _notices_ me," Marinette said, with a puff of air coming out in annoyance. "Unlike my former crush. He was oblivious to me for a while, so…"

 _'Yeah, and now I'm too late.'_ Cat Noir thought, frustrated.

"He finds my stuttering cute," Marinette began, blushing. "And he thinks I'm funny."

Cat Noir was silent as he listened.

Just then, as if something snapped in the background, music started playing.

 _"Smooth-talking. So rocking! He's got everything that this girl's wanting."_ Marinette sang, as she started to spin and dance a bit, while Cat Noir only watched in subdued quiet.

 _"Guitar cutie! He plays it groovy! And I can't keep myself from doing something stupid!"_ Marinette sang.

She remembered how she would happily listen to him play his guitar. Immediately after, she wound up doing something clumsy and stupid. It only made Luka laugh.

 _"Think I'm really falling for his smile! Get butterflies when he says my name!"_ _M_ arinette sang.

She would think of all the smiles that Luka would give her, whether or not she did something that he found entertaining or whatever, or even when he would greet her, she felt her stomach just swarm with uncharged akumas.

 _"He's got something special! He's got something special! And when he's looking at me, I want to get all sentimental!"_ Marinette sang, as she looked back at Cat Noir, about to cry happy tears at the thought of her boyfriend.

Cat Noir was not having it, but he continued to listen.

 _"He's got something special! He's got something special! I can hardly breathe, something's telling me, telling me maybe he could be the one!"_ Marinette sang.

As she repeated the last lines a few times, Cat Noir thought, if only he had paid more attention to Marinette. What could their relationship be at that moment if he had only taken the time to see Marinette?

 _"He's lightning! Sparks are flying! Everywhere I go he's always on my mind, and I'm going crazy about him lately!"_ Marinette vocalized, as she remembered that she had been completely obsessed with Luka as of late and her heart rate was going insane whenever he was closer to her. _"And I can't help myself from how my heart is racing!"_

As she leaned against the railing and turned back to Cat Noir, a blush adorned her face and she sang, _"Think I'm really digging on his vibe! He really blows me away!"_

Cat Noir's heart was hurting with every word Marinette would sing. It was hard to listen to, but he continued to focus on his friend.

 _"He's got something special! He's got something special! And when he's looking at me, I want to get all sentimental!"_ _M_ arinette sang, once again thinking about Luka.

Every time he would smile, hold her hand, compliment her, whatever, she was already fantasizing. She thought back on all of the times they spent together, including the concert and the ice cream.

 _"He's got something special! He's got something special! I can hardly breathe, something's telling me, telling me maybe he could be the one!"_ Marinette sang, spinning around.

All the moments she and Luka shared were flowing back into her mind, playing like a movie. Cat Noir could only watch on as Marinette went on and on, and she was clearly overjoyed.

He was wondering how Luka would treat her if she ever went and made mistakes. He had a feeling he was pretty easygoing about it, but regardless, he had this sudden urge to hear it, while at the same time, not sure if he actually wanted to.

Marinette was still daydreaming. She was recalling earlier in the week that she and Luka had decided to bake cookies in the apartment. She was bringing out the flour into the kitchen while Luka was cracking the eggs and measuring the vanilla.

However, being the klutz that she was, she tripped over on air and wound up throwing the flour bag up by accident.

Seeing this, Luka ran forward and shouted, "I got it!"

However, the flour bag ended up falling onto Luka and its contents spilled all over him.

Seeing the older boy covered in white powder made Marinette cover her mouth in shock. However, she was surprised to hear Luka chuckling.

"Hahaha! Man, you're a riot, Marinette!" Luka laughed. Seeing that he was not upset, Marinette started to laugh along with the guitarist.

"We'd better clean this up before we keep going," Marinette said, as she went to get the broom. "We have more flour where that came from, so no worries."

"I haven't the slightest doubt, babe." Luka muttered as he watched Marinette leave to get cleaning supplies.

She then remembered that after a successful batch of cookies, it was nighttime when they were done. Rather than leave, Luka asked if they could go on the roof of her house. Marinette did not deny him this, and within minutes, they were sitting on the rooftop under the stars and he was serenading her with his guitar music.

Marinette was swooning in that moment. Just hearing him praise her using his music made her feel like she was in absolute heaven.

 _"And he's got a way of making me feel like everything I do is perfectly fine! The stars are aligned when I'm with him! And I'm so into him!"_ Marinette sang, turning back to Cat Noir.

 _"He's got something special! He's got something special! And when he's looking at me, I want to get all sentimental!"_ Marinette sang, Luka's gaze at her during the concert still fresh in her mind.

 _"He's got something special! He's got something special! I can hardly breathe, something's telling me, telling me maybe he could be the one!"_ Marinette sang, as she repeated the last line a few more times.

Seeing Marinette so happy about her boyfriend made Cat Noir's feel even worse.

"I… I see." Cat Noir said, trying his best to sound happy for Marinette.

Apparently, he failed at that, because Marinette noticed the sadness in his voice and asked him, "You okay?'

Not wanting to let her see him shed tears, he turned away and said, "Y-Yes, I'm fine, Princess… Just… I just hope… I wish for your happiness…"

 _'What have I done?! My Princess was hurt by my ignorance and now look what's happened! She's happy and with someone else, and I can't even do anything except stand by and watch while my heart shatters to pieces!'_ Cat Noir thought, as he covered his eyes with one of his hands.

Marinette could tell he was not okay, but she could only deduce that he was hurt by her revelation about her feelings for Luka.

Rather than cry like a baby in front of Marinette, Cat Noir leaped away from the roof to go back home.

"Cat, wait!" Marinette called out, but he was gone.

Within minutes, Cat Noir made it back into his room. He called off his transformation, melting back into Adrien. Rather than listen to Plagg complain about transforming just to visit Marinette, Adrien just collapsed onto the bed and started to cry into his pillow.

"Kid?" Plagg asked, as he flew closer to Adrien.

Adrien just ignored his kwami and kept offloading his pent-up emotions.

He was devastated. Just when he realized his feelings for Marinette, she went and found another. If only he had not wasted so much time going after Ladybug, then maybe he could have been happy with Marinette instead. He took something out of his pocket – the same lucky charm bracelet that he had gotten from Marinette when he was at her place, practicing for the UMSIII tournament.

The only thing he could do was tell her how he felt, even though he was too late.

For the rest of the weekend, all Adrien did was mope around and stay in his room aside from patrol. Even then, he tried his best to make sure Ladybug did not catch on to his heartbreak.

* * *

That following Monday, Adrien came to school, but his mind was still on Marinette.

He had to find her. He had to talk to her. He knew he had already lost the race to Luka, but he wanted to at least let Marinette know that he cared about her.

"Adrien, buddy!" Nino shouted, as the DJ soon came upon the model. "What happened to you this weekend? You didn't answer the phone at all!"

Adrien, surprised at this information, looked at his phone and realized that he had many missed calls and unread texts from Nino and many other people. Heck, even Marinette had texted him, and from her message, she was definitely worried about him.

 _'At least she still cares about me to some degree.'_ _Adrien thought._

"Sorry, Nino," Adrien said. "It's just that… The concert."

"Oh, yeah," Nino said, realizing what was bugging his friend. "Alya and I saw what happened from our seats. Can't believe Luka was bold enough to make a move like that."

Adrien hunched over, muttering, "Don't remind me."

Apparently, Nino's headphones were still on, because then he stated, "I just heard from Alya that after the concert, Luka brought Marinette to André's ice cream cart and they shared a lovers' cone before walking her home. Even shared a kiss, if I remember right."

For once, the sound of Nino's voice and the words coming out of the DJ's mouth were grinding against Adrien's brain and now he was getting annoyed. For crying out loud, _they kissed?!_ Could his love life get any deader than it already was?

"Where is she?" Adrien asked. His tone was a combination of annoyance and curiosity.

"Marinette?" Nino asked. "I think she's talking with Alya about Luka near the lockers…"

"All I needed to hear," Adrien said, before turning and making his way to the locker area. "Meet you in the classroom?"

Nino gave a hum of confirmation, before internally praying that all went well. The last thing he wanted was to hear Adrien complain about getting chewed out by Marinette. But hey, that was his fault for confessing so late… Though he knew telling Adrien that was a bad call.

In the locker area, the girls were going on and on about the concert and about Luka.

"Oh, it was so sweet! Luka was a gentleman, walking me home, sharing the ice cream… It was heaven!" Marinette squealed, as she talked to Alya about her date with Luka.

"Wow, sounds like your fantasies about Adrien are coming true," Alya said. "Only difference is that it's with a different guy. One who genuinely cares about you and treats you like royalty. You seem pretty happy with Luka."

"How can I not be?" Marinette asked, gushing again.

Out of her peripheral vision, Alya saw Adrien coming and then she murmured, "Looks like Golden Boy's got you in his sights. Good luck."

Alya immediately left the locker area to give Adrien time with Marinette.

"Marinette…" Adrien began, clearing his throat. "I have to talk to you."

For her part, Marinette was practically numb to Adrien at this point. Since falling for Luka, all of the butterflies, the stammers, the clumsy moments she had with Adrien were gone. She could talk to him normally now. It was like she never had feelings for the blonde to begin with.

"Yes, Adrien?" Marinette inquired.

"I… I like you. A lot," Adrien said, his face as red as a ladybug. "And I'm aware that you feel… Or rather, _felt_ the same way until recently. I just… Wanted to get it out in the open."

Marinette's eyes were bulging in shock. All it took was for another boy to ask her out for Adrien Agreste to take notice of her? At hearing this, her mind went blank for the briefest of moments.

"Why… Would you… Why didn't you tell me before Luka asked me out?" Marinette asked, trying her best not to raise her voice.

"I wasn't aware of how I felt before then," Adrien argued gently. "Had I realized it sooner, I would have."

"So why are you telling me this _now_ _?!_ After all the pining, the struggle to speak, and despair of not getting a chance to spend time with you, _now_ you decide to return my feelings?" Marinette asked, in complete shock.

"This isn't fair to either of us, especially you, I know." Adrien said, remorseful.

"It isn't fair at all!" Marinette began, her tears flowing. "Just when I found happiness with another…"

Adrien was about to continue on and apologize, Marinette looked him in the eye and began singing again.

 _"Well, it's been a while since I looked into your eyes,"_ Marinette sang, her face unchanging. _"And it's interesting that I just don't feel a thing for the so-called love of my life."_

Marinette continued crooning as Adrien listened on. The feelings she had for him were a lot stronger than he thought.

He was surprised that she had not been akumatized, having been so hurt. On the other hand, she usually had good control of her emotions anyway, so it was not that big a shock.

 _"I let you into my soul… It took me so long to forget (all the little things we shared)."_ Marinette sang, tears streaking down her face.

That dance at Chloé's party. The time they went to see Emilie in the movies. The video game tournament, amongst other small memories that she and Adrien shared. They were flooding back, but all Marinette could glean was that she had wasted so much time.

 _"And now you want me after all of my pain, heartache and suffering? I was a fool, but that's in the past. So sorry, boy, but you had your chance!"_ Marinette declared in song.

It was true. She had been surprised and shocked that Adrien had started feeling the same way for her once she had moved on to Luka. And she was happy with him.

In short, Adrien had his shot, he was too late, and that was his fault.

There was no excuse for what he had done. And now they were both hurt. Hopefully not enough to be akumatized but hurt nonetheless.

Marinette sang, _"See, I spent so many sleepless nights trying to block you from my mind. I was so convinced I'd die without you once upon a time."_

Hearing Marinette pour her heart out to him was hurtful. He knew he had caused her a lot of pain in the past, but this was a whole new piece that he had yet to see. Adrien wanted to hug her, kiss her, make her feel better. Problem was, now that was Luka's job, not Adrien's. At this point, Adrien had lost that right.

 _"Now my eyes are open, and I can see that there is one who cares for me!"_ Marinette belted out, once again referring to Luka instead of him.

 _"And now you want me after all of my pain, heartache and suffering? I was a fool, but that's in the past. So sorry, boy, but you had your chance!"_ Marinette sang, ending the song for the moment.

Adrien had a sad look in his eyes as he looked at Marinette, realizing she was right.

"I'm sorry, Adrien… I just don't feel that way anymore." Marinette said, her bangs covering her eyes.

Adrien said, "Not your fault… I was the idiot who didn't notice what was around me until it was gone."

Marinette wiped away her tears before looking at Adrien. It was weak and said, but he was still smiling at her.

"Luka's… A great guy," Adrien forced out. He scratched the back of his head. "And I know he'll make you happy… I just wish that it were me instead. But that's what I get for wasting time."

Marinette failed to comment. She just avoided Adrien's gaze.

"I… Hope we can maintain our friendship…" Adrien said, once again forcing his words out.

Marinette nodded in agreement. Even though she wanted nothing more than to win Adrien over in the past, she was satisfied with friendship. She was with Luka now, and she had never been happier in her life.

She gave Adrien once last glance before turning away and running for the next class.

Adrien fell to the floor a bit. He decided to sulk for a little while before going to class. And for once, Plagg kept his mouth shut and it was not filled with cheese.

* * *

Once all had been wrapped up for the day, Adrien was waiting outside the door for his ride back home.

 _'Well, I came out with it, and even though I knew the result, it still hurt. But I deserve it. I already blew my chances with her being blinded by Ladybug.'_ Adrien thought.

The door opened and Marinette soon walked out. They made eye contact, but Marinette merely looked ahead. She took out her phone and looked at the time.

"Where is he?" Marinette muttered.

"Luka?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah," Marinette said, trying to diffuse the awkwardness. "He's going to be walking me home."

"...I see." Adrien quietly replied.

What else could he say? He had been shot down flat, it was something he brought upon himself, and he _knew it_. All he could do now was just hope for Marinette's happiness with Luka. As much as he wanted to be in Luka's shoes, he knew that he lost that right.

Just then, clouds started rolling in and it began to rain a little.

 _'This is just like that very day...'_ The two teens thought collectively.

They were thinking of the second day of their lives as superheroes, and when Marinette first started to crush on Adrien. It was raining that day, and Adrien had explained himself about the whole gum-on-the-seat incident. After that, he gave her his umbrella, and she had been smitten ever since.

But that was water under the bridge because now she had Luka.

"Hey, Angel!" A voice shouted and Marinette looked up and head to see the guitarist.

"Luka!" Marinette squealed, and she ran down to meet him. However, she tripped on the water puddle and stumbled and flailed.

"Whoa, I gotcha!" Luka said, as he caught Marinette in his arms. "You okay?"

"I'm fine now," Marinette said, standing up. "But for it to start raining... I should've packed an umbrella."

However, the water droplets stopped hitting her and was now only hitting the areas around her. Looking up, she was under the canopy of an umbrella. _Luka's_ umbrella. She looked at her boyfriend and saw that he had one on hand.

"Then it's a good thing I have one big enough to shelter two people." Luka said, chuckling.

Marinette laughed along with her boyfriend and . Adrien could only watch. Of all the rotten luck, he had to forget an umbrella today, too. It was so unfair. On the other hand, the Gorilla should be there with the car soon.

"Shall we get going, Marinette?" Luka asked.

Marinette smiled, took Luka's free hand into her own, and giggled. The couple began to walk down the sidewalk and away from the school building.

Once they were out of sight, Adrien allowed himself to cry. It was hard to tell if the water on his face were really his tears, or just the rain. Maybe a bit of both? Either way, he got his karma.

 _'I wish you happiness... Princess...'_ Adrien thought, as he wiped his tears away.

Without a care in the world, Marinette and Luka were walking across the street to the bakery. Marinette's arms were around Luka's, his smile was making all of the rain go away.

Alya was right on Valentine's Day: ladybugs _were_ a sign of good luck in romance. Sure, it did not turn out like how Marinette expected, but now that her luck in love had turned for the better, she was _not_ about to let it run out.

"My parents want you over for dinner tonight," Marinette said, blushing shyly. "You in?"

"I'd love to stay for dinner. And besides, if your parents' cooking is as good as their baking, then I don't have any reason to say 'no.'" Luka said.

Once they were at Marinette's place and inside the building, Marinette shut the door. Luka closed the umbrella and then he leaned in for another kiss. Marinette did not hesitate to respond, and then the two Jagged Stone fans shared a kiss that was sweeter than any cookie.

Tikki peeked out of her bag and smiled. She was happy Marinette found love, and could only cheer on from her hiding spot.

 _'I'm so happy for you, Marinette!'_ Tikki thought.

Almost by magic, the sky cleared and a rainbow was formed over the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. The colored lights and sparkles seemed to sprinkle onto Luka and Marinette, whose lips were still locked.

 _'Come what may, I know I'll be happy with Luka! Just try to ruin it, Hawkmoth!'_ Marinette internally sang.

Luka hugged her close and the two bathed in the glory of the rainbow.

* * *

 **And that's all she wrote for "Swooning To The Music." No sequel for this story, nothing. I hope you all enjoyed it. I had a hard time figuring out an ending for this story. If Luka makes more appearances, then I think I'll have a better time writing Lukanette since I'll have more personality traits to go on.**


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